Case Study to Understand the Challenges and Opportunities in Designing of Context Based Curriculum

1. Case Study to Understand the Challenges and Opportunities in Designing of Context Based Curriculum Dr. Manishankar ChakrabortyMrs. Reshma D’sa

2. Abstract • The paper is in the form of a case study. • discuss the issues pertaining to context based curriculum in an Omani environment. • The insights drawn from academicians, academic administrators and students. • The case would lend credence to the aforesaid factors on the basis of secondary data, interviews and some primary data gathered.

3. Keywords Context based curriculum, Higher Education, Colleges of Technology

4. Objectives of the Study • To understand the challenges and opportunities while designing, planning and implementing context based curriculum. • To understand the perspective of various stakeholders and related to context based curriculum. • To understand the benefits offered by context based curriculum.

5. Importance of the Study • The study would provide first hand insights. • The paper would bring to the fore the perspectives of academicians, academic administrators and students. • Would provide solutions to many of the issues grappling with Higher Education institutes (HEI).

6. Research Setting

7. Findings and its relevance • The study would decipher the challenges and opportunities in shaping up and implementing context based curriculum. • The findings would have high relevance not only for the aforesaid institutions.

8. Contributions to theoretical knowledge and professional practice • The presentation is the challenges and opportunity in the form of a case study, particular to an HEI set-up, that too in particular to the Omani context. • The findings would contribute towards the professional practices of the curriculum.

9. Introduction • One of the major components of the overall process in the HEI is curriculum development. • The paper is an attempt to put forth the perspectives of the authors for the same.

10. Literature Review • The importance of curriculum increases manifold when it comes to Higher Education (HE) and Higher Education Institutes (HEI). • (Chavez, 2011) opines that curriculum development in HE calls for faculty in all spheres, including those from various levels like local, province, state, national and international for increased attention to learning outcomes.

11. Need for models and mechanisms in curriculum development • There is a need for models and mechanisms to encourage a deeper understanding and more rigorous application of the concept of curriculum in higher education are developed and presented for discussion, before being considered to be used in an HEI set-up (Hicks, 2007). • (Beasley & Butler 2002) described context based approach a teacher initiated introduction to a specific context at the outset of the unit. Subsequently, the content is developed and provided in a need-to-know-basis and concepts are taught through discussion as and when required by the learner. • Even the Salters approach in the United Kingdom in the University of York Science Education Group (UYSEG), 2000

12. Development of HEI too plays a role • The origin of HEI along with its periodical evolution play an important role in the enhancement of the curriculum development as more rapid is the progress in terms of moving from one level to another; faster would be the progress in terms of all aspects of the teaching-learning domain. • Year Happening Before 1970Absence of Higher Education1970-1980Vocational Education started by Sultan Qaboos University1980’sMinistry of Manpower starts vocational educational institute all across Oman with the epicenter in Muscat.

13. Contd: • 1990’sPrivate and Public sector colleges and universities starts in Oman. Foreign and domestic programmes were initiated in these HEI’s. • 2000 and onwards Tremendous growth of HEI, along with the entry of foreign universities. • Source-http://www.unesco.org/education/wef/countryreports/oman/contents.html#cont

14. HEI’s in Oman

15. Overview of Colleges of Technologies • The market needs brought in changes in terms of the transition from Vocational Training Institutes (VTI) to the Colleges of Technologies. • From 5 Colleges of Technologies to start with, the Ministry of Manpower added two more to its fold, mainly to groom future Engineers, Managers, Information Technology professionals, Basic and Applied Sciences graduate so as to meet the market requirements, by providing quality manpower. • The scope of VTI was limited in terms of the development of curriculum and move over to a pure context based curriculum as the program was offered till the Diploma level.

16. Ibra College of Technology at a glance • Ibra College of Technology is one of the established technical Colleges in the Sultanate of Oman that is being governed by the Ministry of Manpower since 2001. • The idea to improve College of Technology to Higher College of Technology is through the help of the Academic committee who worked and developed a new B.Tech program which was first offered in the 2003-2004 Academic Year.

17. Ibra College of Technology at a glance • From 1982-1993, the college operated as Vocational Training Institute offering programs in Vocational Training. • From 1993-2001, it was known as Ibra Technical Industrial College offering programs in Arabic Program in 1993-1995, and General Certificate of Vocational Education (GNVQ) Program in 1995-2001. • From 2001, the college has been upgraded and called Ibra College of Technology offering programs in Oman National Diploma (OND) in 2001-2003 and the New Program in 2003-2004 onwards.

18. Ibra College of Technology at a glance • From 1982-1997, the college was under the Vocational Training Authority. • Until 2001, the college was under the Ministry of Social Affairs for Labour and Vocational Training. • From 2001 onwards, the college has been under the Ministry of Manpower (MoMP). (source-http://www.ict.edu.om/ENUS/Pages/About/CollegeHistory.aspx)

19. Essentials for Developing Context Based Curriculum There are quite a few essentials forming the basis for developing a Context based Curriculum. Some of these essentials are- • Defined Learning Outcomes • Content or Context first • Collaboration. • Assessments • Flexibility • Teaching-Learning environment • Text-books, Workbooks, Reference Books • Faculty Development Programs • Benchmarking with customization • Audit

20. Opportunities provided by Context Based Curriculum • Context based curriculum can be made contemporary with the needs of the environment, thereby offering opportunities of research and development. • The implementation of context based curriculum would enable the learner to understand the concepts better. • Context based curriculum would act as a solution provider to the problems encountered by the society, industry, economy and the nation. • Context based curriculum can lead to a need based learning approach on the part of the learner. • Context based curriculum is more student friendly and therefore student centered learning becomes comparatively easier.

21. Opportunities provided by Context Based Curriculum • Performance of the student would improve owing to better understanding of the contents. • Localization of globalized contents would enable the trainer-learner duo to participate in enriching teaching-learning relationship. • Context based curriculum would lead to the development of local textbooks with local illustrations, case studies, demonstrations, that can facilitate in better learning, rather than the foreign ones having different contexts

22. Opportunities provided by Context Based Curriculum • Learning innovation would lead to more creative graduates, impacting their workplace related performances. • (10)Entrepreneurial opportunities would increase as the graduates would have better understanding of the opportunities available along with the business solutions to be offered.

23. Challenges for Context based Curriculum • It calls for the trainer/teacher to have a complete understanding of the local happenings and need, which at times might not be available in optimum quantity. • The need for having a strong, symbiotic and perennial relationship between institute and industry is a necessity, which at times may not be available. • Defined process so as to involve all stakeholders before finalizing the curriculum is an absolute must, which may not be available. • Periodical overhaul would be a need owing to the dynamism involved in this technique of curriculum involvement, thereby calling flexibility in the processes and organizational structure.

24. Challenges for Context based Curriculum • Benchmarking global practices but with a localized touch would call for customization, leading to a dedicated team of professionals working on the area continuously. • Textbooks, workbooks and other teaching-learning materials need to be standardized. • Uniformity in assessment with an objective to attain the goals of curriculum based learning. • The need to learn, unlearn and relearn would be the driving force in implementing curriculum based on contexts.

25. Stakeholders and context based curriculum • Teacher/Trainer Direct Curriculum Development, Implementation, Review & Enhancement At the operative level while implementing, top level while designing. Continuous interaction with the industry and student. • Student/Learner Direct Soliciting feedback and participate full-fledged in the implementation process. • At the operative level while implementing Triangular interaction with teachers in the college, with industry during internship and with society regularly.

26. Conclusion • The role of stakeholders is varied and keeps on changing from time to time, especially when the context for the finalization of the contents of a curriculum of Higher education is never stagnant. • The opportunities offered due to the implementation of context based curriculum is manifold, notwithstanding the challenge that needs to be overcome. • The need for continuous and channelized discussion on the basis of the environment prevailing within a HEI goes a long way in deciding the success percentage of context based curriculum.

27. Limitation • The study has limitation of not having any primary data and dwells on secondary data from published sources, both in Oman and outside Oman. • The paper is a compilation of perspectives of the author on the basis of their experience, along with the published literary works researched by them.

28. References • Beasley, W & Butler, J 2002, ' Implementation of Context-based Science within the Freedoms Offered by Queensland Schooling', paper presented at the ASERA Conference, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. • Chavez,F.A.. (2011). Curriculum Development in Higher Education: Faculty-Driven Processes and Practices (review). The Review of Higher Education . 34 (2), p 337-339. • Gutwill-Wise, J 2001, 'The impact of active and context-based learning in introductory chemistry courses: An early evaluation of the modular approach', Journal of Chemical Education, 77(5), 684–690 • Hicks, O. (2007). Curriculum in higher education in Australia –. Enhancing Higher Education, Theory and Scholarship. I (1), p1-12. • ICT. (2014). Information about ICT. Available: http://www.ict.edu.om/EN-US/Pages/About/CollegeHistory.aspx. Last accessed 20th March 2014. • Key, ME 1998, Student perceptions of chemical industry: influences of course syllabi, teachers, first-hand experience, Unpublished DPhil thesis, University of York, York, UK. • Kelly, R. (2012). Service-Learning Course Development. Available: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/curriculum-development/service-learning-course-development/. Last accessed 20th March 2014.

29. Contd: • Kouwenhoven, W (2007). Competence-based curriculum development in higher education: some African experiences . Africa: publisher. p126-146. • Ministry of Higher Education of Oman. (Updation on 2011 ). Information About HEI in Oman. Available: http://www.mohe.gov.om/. Last accessed 20th March 2014 • Queensland Studies Authority 2004, Chemistry: Extended Trial Pilot Syllabus, Brisbane. • Ramsden, JM 1992, 'If it's enjoyable, is it science?', School Science Review, 73(265), 65–71 • Sutman, F & Bruce, M 1992, 'Chemistry in the community – ChemCom: A five-year evaluation', Journal of Chemical Education, 69(7), 564–567. • University of York Science Education Group [UYSEG] 2000, Salters Advanced Chemistry, Chemical Storylines, Chemical Ideas, Activities and Assessment and Teachers' Guide, 2nd edition, UYSEG/Heinemann Educational York/ Oxford. • Welikela, T (2011). Rethinking International Higher Education Curriculum: Mapping the research landscape. Nottingham : Universitas. p6-18. • World Education Forum. (2000). The EFA 2000 Assessment: Country Reports.Available:http://www.unesco.org/education/wef/countryreports/oman/contents.html#cont. Last accessed 20th March 2014. • Wolf, P; Hughes, J.C. (2008). Curriculum Development in Higher Education: Faculty-Driven Processes and Practices: New Directions for Teaching and Learning, Number 112. New Jersey: Wiley. p 13-17.